Speaking as part of the Global Public Leaders Series, he said civil servants were "very good at responding to the issues that governments put to us in the here and now, but we're less good about not only doing that, but also thinking ahead to the future".

Rennie praised Singapore as an example of a civil service which has balanced immediate responsiveness with foward thinking. "It's about fostering a culture of continuous improvement in our public service; that we're not satisfied with the status quo but are always thinking about how we can do better," he said.

He said the New Zealand government was about to bring to parliament legislation which would create an obligation for chief executives to be "stewards" for their organisation, a role which Rennie describes as "thinking ahead, and ensuring that their organisation has the capacity to deliver effectively in the future as well as today."

Speaking about talent sourcing, Rennie said that public servants must "build a brand for the public service in terms of employment." He said that age should not be the focus, but that the aim was to "get the best and brightest and offer New Zealanders, whether younger or older, an exciting career and a real possibility to change lives".

Rennie acknowledged that new recruits to the civil service face an environment which is "more complex, more unpredictable and more ambiguous" than in the past, and that they must be prepared for this.

He added that organisations must offer potential leaders "a portfolio of experiences that will stretch them, that will challenge them, that may give them in effect a taste of failure early in their careers", so that they have the capacity to lead the public service into the future.